City Manager Jeff Knighton briefed the council on Dec. 3 about a proposed two-year extension of the city's federal-lobbyist contract with the Johnston Group and announced a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant award.

Knighton said the Johnston Group has represented Mountlake Terrace since 2007 and has helped secure more than $10 million in federal funding for city projects. The proposed extension would run two years and include a 3% annual increase in the monthly retainer: the current retainer is $4,961 per month, which would rise to $5,110 in 2026 and $5,265 in 2027 under the recommended extension. City staff recommended placing the contract extension on the council's Dec. 18 consent agenda for final approval.

In the city-manager report, Knighton announced the city received a $5,000,000 Transportation Improvement Board grant for the Main Street project. Knighton said the city, with congressional and state support and other appropriations, now has sufficient funding to build the next phase of the Main Street program; the bid will be advertised in 2026 and construction is expected to begin in 2026.

Council members expressed support for the return-to-consent approach and praised the lobbying work and the grant award. No formal vote on the lobbyist extension occurred at the Dec. 3 meeting; the matter was scheduled for consent consideration on Dec. 18.